Concealed Hinges as Replacements for Pelipal Kitchens

A suitable replacement concealed hinge for Pelipal cabinets generally requires a 35 mm cup drilling and a hole pattern following the standardised System 32.

Replacement Parts Suitable for Pelipal Cabinets: Technical Basics

Furniture doors in humid rooms or heavily used kitchens are subject to high mechanical stresses. If doors are sagging, rubbing, or making loud noises when closing, the hinge is usually worn out. For replacement, it is not strictly necessary to rely on manufacturer-specific components. A cup hinge is a standardised furniture fitting. Hinges from furnica are ideal alternatives to the originally installed fittings in Pelipal cabinets, provided that the fundamental technical parameters match.

For carpenters and experienced fitters, replacing them is routine, but it requires the correct identification of the existing system. A hinge and its mounting plate act like a plug and socket: only when the grid dimensions match exactly does the mechanical connection work smoothly, allowing the door to be neatly adjusted within the carcase later.

What to Look Out for Regarding Compatibility

To select a hinge suitable for Pelipal furniture, three essential dimensions on the carcase and on the cabinet door must be determined.

The Cup Drilling

The most distinctive feature is the cylindrical recess milled into the furniture door. On almost all modern cabinets, the diameter of this cup drilling is exactly 35 mm. Less commonly, often on very light or narrow doors, a diameter of 26 mm is used. The drilling depth is standardly 11.5 mm to 12 mm.

System 32 and the Hole Pattern

Fastening the cruciform mounting plate inside the cabinet is typically done via a pre-drilled row of holes. The industry-wide System 32 defines a hole spacing of exactly 32 mm from one another. The distance from the front edge of the carcase to the centre of the first drilling is standardly 37 mm. If these dimensions are present on the existing cabinet, smooth compatibility with replacement parts is ensured.

Identifying the Overlay Types

The most common mistake when replacing fittings is choosing the wrong crank. The crank determines how the door sits relative to the carcase when closed:

• Full overlay: The door sits completely over the carcase side. The hinge features a straight arm without a visible bend.
• Half overlay: Two doors share a single central carcase panel. The hinge arm is slightly cranked so that both doors have space without colliding.
• Inset: The door does not sit on the carcase, but flush between the carcase sides. The hinge arm is heavily cranked.

Suitable furnica Parts for Retrofitting

Depending on the location inside the cabinet, different hinge types can be selected as replacements for Pelipal fittings.

For classic doors on base units or wall units, an opening angle of 110° is mostly used. However, if there are internal drawers behind the door, a wide-angle hinge with 155° or 165° is required. This swings the door completely clear of the internal width of the carcase, ensuring pull-outs do not rub against the inside of the door when drawn out.

A significant upgrade when replacing is switching to hinges with integrated damping. This Soft-Close technology slows the door down over the last few centimetres and pulls it shut silently. This protects the material and saves your nerves.

Those who have already dismantled the cabinet often use the opportunity for further functional upgrades. Once the front is removed, worn kitchen furniture handles can be replaced at the same time. The interior can also be modernised on this occasion. Many fitters retrofit base units with full-extension runners. Standardised kitchen cabinet pull-outs are available for this purpose. Depending on the carcase width, a perfectly fitting kitchen cabinet pull-out 60 cm or a narrower kitchen cabinet pull-out 50 cm can be integrated into the existing 32 mm hole pattern.

Installation and Adjustment of Concealed Hinges

Mounting compatible fittings takes only a few steps.

Required tools:

• Cordless screwdriver
• Bit insert Pozidriv (PZ2)
• Folding rule or try square

Step 1: Removal and Preparation

Release the old door by separating the hinges from the mounting plates in the carcase. Next, unscrew the old cups from the door and the plates from the carcase. Clear any wood dust from the drill holes.

Step 2: Fitting the New Components

Insert the new cup hinges into the 35 mm drillings of the door. Ensure that they sit at an exact 90-degree angle to the door edge. They are usually fixed in place with wood screws (Ø 3.5 mm or 4 mm). Then screw the new mounting plates into the carcase. For pre-drilled rows of holes, Euro screws (Ø 5 mm) are frequently used.

Step 3: Hanging the Door

Thanks to modern clip-on mounting, the door no longer needs to be painstakingly screwed on. The hinge is positioned at the front of the mounting plate and audibly engages with light pressure on the rear hinge arm.

Step 4: Aligning the Reveal (3D Adjustment)

Using the adjustment screws on the hinge arm, the door is now aligned:

• Depth adjustment: Decreases or increases the gap between the door and the carcase.
• Height adjustment: Regulated via the mounting plate to align the door vertically.
• Side adjustment: Corrects the door gap (reveal) relative to adjacent front panels.

Note for special wall cabinets: When repairing fittings on wall units where dishes dry, check the draining racks at the same time. A standardised dish drainer for wall cabinet can often be retrofitted precisely. If it is an upward-opening flap instead, you do not need classic cup hinges, but gas struts for heavy flaps tailored to the front panel weight.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Compatibility

Can I replace a defective hinge and leave the old mounting plate in the carcase? This is not technically recommended. The geometry of the hinge arm and the latching mechanism of the cruciform mounting plate are precisely matched to each other. If you mix components from different manufacturers or generations, the hinge will either fail to engage or the closing angle will be distorted. Always replace the cup hinge and plate as a set.

How do I properly retrofit my sink cabinet? The sink cabinet often requires special solutions because waste traps restrict space. The hinges (mostly full overlay) are replaced as described. For waste disposal in the lower section, professionals often install systems mounted to the base panel. A kitchen recycling bin separation or a compact kitchen pull-out waste bin 40cm works independently of the door hinges and can be retrofitted without issues.

Are concealed hinges with soft-close thicker than standard hinges? The cup drilling remains 35 mm, and the drilling depth of around 11.5 mm is also identical. The damper cylinder is integrated directly into the hinge arm or the cup housing to save space. Switching from un-damped to damped fittings is therefore possible without any new routing or drilling.

How can I optimise drawers once the doors are renewed? Once the door mechanics are running smoothly again, an untidy drawer often stands out even more. The internal dimensions of standardised cabinets allow the use of perfectly fitting inserts. A kitchen drawer organiser helps to sort tools or cutlery securely without needing to alter the carcase structure.